The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-08-17
GREAT ALASKA.
Hon. T. 3. Reed Talks of His Visit to
the United States.
Some Decided Opinions on the Situ-
alton in Utah.
Western Republicans in Solid Col
unn for 1888.

SANo'ihNh l. H. IAetQ was at nome
when representative of the PRESS called
at his home on Spring street yesterday, and
IN response to inquiries about his recent
trip to the West, replied:
Yes, have been visiting the United
States. We had trip of two months which
could not lie equalled anywhere else ON the
lace of the earth. Yellowstone Park, the great
Columbia River, Alaska, Salt Lake Valley,
the canons of the Denver and Rio Grande,
the Georgetown Loop on the Colorado Gen.
trail, and the mountain gorges and cascades
near Colorado Springs and Mantou, form a
combination of strange and wonderful seem
cry the like of which no other country in the
world can give. When you and were boys
only short time ago you remember-the
geysers of Iceland were the wonders of the
universe, but the Great Geysers of the Vel
lowstOne Park make those of Iceland and all
the rest Of the world seem very small affairs,
not worth a visit. Our geysers spout often
er, spout higher, and there are more of them
than the geyserS of any other country,
which is very gratifying to the patriotic
mind. Every hour, never over ten minutes
before time and never ten minutes behind
the "Old Faithful pOurS into the air a
stream of water one hundred and fifty feet
high. fifty to seventy feet higher than its
greatest Iceland competitor which has only
one eruption day. The Beehive sends up
solid column like the trunk of great tree
two hundred and nineteen feet and the Gil
antess lifts a large mass of water
with central stream $50 feet high.
The Castle, which looks like a
half dismantled donjon keep of greyish
white stone after the water has ceased to flow
shoots up for an hour vast column of
steam. Whoever has felt the shake of the
earth and heard the roar of the driven
water and steam which attends the daily
eruption of the Castle can form some idea of
/ the enormous subterranean forces at work at
the upper geyser basin.
"But all: after the great wonder and beauty
of the Park is the Canon of the Yellowstone
1t is trying to the nerves to go but it is very
delightful to the recollection to have gone
for miles along the edge of gorge swiftly
sloping for 1000 feet down to the edge of a
rushing river with only room for the horses
hoofs on the TRAIL while the opposite bank
just as high, seems almost perpendicular,
and both banks are rich with color.
After we reached Tacoma began our
journey to Alaska Sin the 'Olympian.' We
were eleven days. The passage was almost
all inland through inlets and channels, and
narrow seas. 1t was like sailing, in fact
was sailing through mountain valleys with
the mountain tops emerging from the waters.
We stopped at Wrangel to see the Indian
village and found it wet and nasty. At Sit
"a hn Ind
cleanfy and gave evidences of the civilizing
example of the Whites. At Juneau there is
a thriving mining town, with sidewalks there
and there emerging from the mud Opposite
Is Douglass Island, where is the Treadwell
gold mine. The owners have erected a mill
of l2O stamps, the largest stamp mill in the
United States, and in the world. They have
begun the work necessary to double the size
OF the mill. The mine is very valuable and
1t Is thought the vein extends beyond the
Treadwell through the whole length of the
island.
Besides the mineral resources of the coun-
try which will soon be pretty thoroughly
prospeeted, in TIE regions nearest the STATES
the salmon fisheries are utilized somewhat,
and the possibilities of the deep sea fisheries
dlo very SItdl.
i@H yAg-see anything of the seal fishery ?''
We did not go within ten or fifteen hun
bred miles of the Seal Islands. In fact. the
great Alaska, itself sixteen times as big as
the whole New England States, is beyond
Sltka. People have very little idea of the
size of our purchase There is one river in
IL, the Yukon. which is no mean rival of
the Mississippi What the future of such a
country will be no one can tell. We are far
enough along, however, to see that it was
worth buying. l believe that our people
Will wiring great wealth out of its varied re-
sources. The Indians there will work; do
days works at regular pay; and they show
that they appreciate civilized methods, for
they have already organized one strike.
zoo our return we stopped at Portland.
Oregon. 1t may interest our citizens to know
that the Pacific city which was named for
ours is large and flourishing, and beautiful.
well built and prosperous, and likely to be-
come the great city we should be if we could
annex Canada.
I'VE were at Salt Lake City four DAYS and
heard much discussion over the new State
project. | concluded that the two Edmunds
bills were putting the Mormons under pretty
severe pressure They were so eager to es-
cape from the control of the United States
government that they had called a conyen
ton to form constitution prohibiting what
they nave hitherto said their religion de-
manded. When they invited the Gentiles to
join them they found both Democrats and
Republicans solid against the project. Ineyer
saw anywhere more vigorous, enterpris-
ing, capable business men than the Gentiles
OF Salt Lake City. To permit the admission
OF Utah merely because a constitution had
an article against polygamy would leave the
Mormons perfectly free to change or to ig-
more the article and then we should have to
"coerce sovereign State 1t is easier to
govern a Territory than to coerce State.
We were in Colorado fortnight. That
visit dissipated any idea l might have had
That there was a Great American Desert |
When | saw as did at Greely |
great cactus plain which used to look like
The Valley of DesOlation, turned by irriga-
lion into potatoe fields that can be rivalled |
only in AroostOok, into fields of stout grain |
ana corn, and into fields yielding three crops |
1f alfalfa every year, became convert to |
,he faith that there is very little of the United
States of America where our people cannot |
i've and rear children and get rich according
% the measure of their faculty and luck"
How did you find politics, Mr.. Reed"
lsked the reporter.
Il heard very little of politics while away.
n fact very few people talk politics the year
efore. Perhaps they are filling up for next
ear But heard enough to satisfy me that
he Western Republicans are as devoted to
he party as ever and will go into the fight
ext year with as solid a column as be-
ore. In fact there must be large increase,
or manufactures are spreading throughout
he West and people are beginning to see the
advantages of home production"